Adelaide Motorsport Festival

The Adelaide Motorsport Festival was an annual motorsport event held between 2014 and 2018 using a shortened [1.6 km (0.87 mi)] form of the former 1985 Australian Grand Prix (in Adelaide from 1985 to 1995) and the 1999 -2020 Adelaide 500 touring car race track within Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi a park located in the South Eastern Parklands of the South Australian capital of Adelaide.[1]

Adelaide Formula One 1985-1995

History

The Adelaide Motorsport Festival was created and run by event director Tim Possingham, a motorsport fan and competitor with a strong focus on Formula One cars.[2]

The inaugural event was held 12–13 April 2014 then it generally took place in late November or early December, at a similar time when the Australian Grand Prix had run in Adelaide.[3]

Using the section of the track within Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi, which includes the Pit Straight and Senna Chicane, a section of Wakefield Road was used to create a 1.6 km circuit. The surrounding park lands contained the pit paddock area, static vehicle displays, catering and VIP areas operated by prestige car brands including Ferrari, Audi, BMW, Aston Martin and Porsche.[4]

The first event in 2014 attracted a small crowd of 1800 people, which grew to in excess of 45,000 in 2018.[5]

The event did not run after 2018 due to state government funding cuts.[6] In the run up to the 2022 South Australian election opposition leader Peter Malinauskas announced that the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and the Adelaide 500 will be revived if he is elected as state premier.[7]

After winning the March election, Mr Malinauskas stated the popular Adelaide Motorsport Festival would return from 23–27 November 2022 and include the car parade (Peak Hour of Power) through the city streets for the Gouger Street Party.[8]

Format
Adelaide Rally Bridgewater Oval Lunch Stop Community Event

The Festival consisted of a Super Sprint Competition, demonstration track events and displays of collectable, historic and vintage cars and street party.[9] It also included the Adelaide Rally, a four-day tarmac rally through the Adelaide Hills and surrounding areas with community event lunch stops.

Victoria Park Sprint

On the Saturday and Sunday, the Victoria Park Sprint ran on the track, which measured 1.6 km. Up to 14 categories of vehicles took part in the competition, ranging from former Formula One cars to historic touring cars, super sedans, time attack, open wheelers and others.[10] Each category was on track for ten minutes, with cars released at 30 second intervals in a super sprint format in which they raced against the clock. Most notably, the 2018 event featured drag races between three different cars, each racing against a Red Bull Air Race aeroplane.[11]

The Adelaide Rally

The Adelaide Rally has the largest field size of any event of this type in the Southern Hemisphere.[12] The event comprises Competitive and Touring Tarmac Rally elements. In 2017 the Rally Legends demonstration featured classic World Rally Car, Group B and Australian Rally icons perform at speed on the Victoria Park Sprint circuit.[13]

It includes several challenging rally stages in the Adelaide Hills and regions of South Australia.[14]

Shannons Adelaide Rally is a predominantly nostalgic, classic themed motoring event that is supported by The South Australian Tourism Commission and the Adelaide Hills Council.[15] The 2022 Shannons Adelaide Rally has a course covering more than 220 competitive kilometres across 40 closed road stages with lunch stops and dedicated spectator zones.[16]

Displays
Inspecting displays

Some of the greatest classic cars with rich motor racing heritage as well as selected modern categories have been displayed as part of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, many with interesting histories. Approximately 12 Grand Prix cars were sourced to attend the Adelaide Motorsport Festival in 2015 including cars driven by Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger, Jack Brabham and Alan Jones[17]

Parades and street parties

The Gouger Street Party has been a fixture on the Adelaide Rally calendar since 1997.[18] At the end of the Friday night, the Rally field with as many as 21 priceless vehicles — including vintage and Adelaide-era Formula 1 cars headline the motor parade from Victoria Park to Gouger St.[19]

Converging on the city's popular restaurant precinct, enthusiasts can stroll the street to check out the crews and cars, plus enjoy live music, pop-up bars and dining along the restaurant strip. Gouger Street is also adjacent to the famous Adelaide Market and Chinatown[20]

East End Finale: After the intense competition and spirited touring from the Adelaide Rally, the entire field converge for the East End Finale for a free street party taking in Rundle Street East, East Terrace, Rundle Street and Rymill Park. This as actioned in 2019 and 2021 due to the Adelaide Motorsport Festival site within Victoria Park not being used due to government funding cuts/ At the Rally Finale, rally winners are lauded with a podium presentation, surrounded by vehicle displays, automotive brand activations, drone racing, free kids' activities and 500 cars on display. Spectators also talk with the drivers and navigators.[21]

Notable cars and drivers

Drivers
3.5litre V12 Ferrari 412 T1 at AMF 2016

Formula One drivers attending the Adelaide Motorsport Festival include:[22]

  • Stefan Johansson who raced on the original Adelaide street circuit and returned to Adelaide to drive the Ferrari he used in 1985.
  • Alister McRae, a former WRC rally driver, and brother of WRC World Champion Colin McRae, attended the Festival in 2018, driving an original 1993 Subaru Impreza, a sister car to the one driven by his brother.
  • Alan Jones, who drove in the first Adelaide Grand Prix in 1985, took part in the Adelaide Rally in 2019 in a McLaren 720S.
  • David Brabham, Le Mans 24 Hour winner, 3 x International Sports Car series champion, Australian Driver's Champion, British Formula 3 champion, appeared in 2018, driving the Brabham BT62 in its public high-speed debut.
  • Pierluigi Martini featured in 2017 driving his Minardi M 189 Formula One car originally driven on the circuit in 1989.
  • Ivan Capelli attended the event in 2016 and 2018 driving a Leyton House March Formula One car which he had driven at the Adelaide Grand Prix in 1989. In 2018 he set a lap record on the Adelaide Motorsport Festival track in this car.

A number of Australian touring car and V8 Supercars drivers took part in the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, including:

Notable cars

Formula One cars and other open wheelers, Can Am and Le Mans cars, World Rally Championship cars and various types of Australian touring cars have appeared to the Festival.[24]

  • Formula One Leyton House Racing – Ivan Capelli raced this car in the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide in 1989 and drove the car again at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival in 2016 and 2018.[25]
  • Dallara BMS19 – Andre Bezuidenhout. Andrea de Cesaris raced this car in Adelaide in 1989, unfortunately spinning out of contention on the first lap.
  • Lola Larrousse LC87 - The team drivers Phillipe Alliot and Yannick Dalmas managed several top ten finishes with the Cosworth V8-powered cars. Dalmas claimed the season's highest finish for the team in Adelaide with fifth place.
  • Lola Larrousse LC88 - Ex-Philippe Alliot car which raced in Adelaide in 1988.
  • Toleman TG185 - With United Colours of Benetton livery, this Toleman TG185 raced at the very first Adelaide Formula One Grand Prix in 1985. Driven by Teo Fabi, the Toleman only finished two races in the season, with pole position in the German GP. During Toleman's last year in F1 in 1986 the team was taken over by major sponsor Benetton.
  • Arrows A21 - Mark Webber was a test driver for Arrows when this car was being developed. It was notable for being a full-carbon car, including the tub, wishbones, brakes and even the gearbox casing.
  • T51 Cooper - The T51 made its F1 debut at Monaco in 1959 with Sir Jack Brabham taking the win. This is the car Sir Jack famously pushed over the line to finish fourth at Sebring after leading most of the race and giving him the points to win his first driver's championship.

Other noteworthy vehicles
  • 555 Prodrive Subaru -The 1993 Subaru Impreza 555 is chassis number 4 from that year's World Rally Championship campaign, and is the only one from that year still with its original shell. A sister car to the one driven by the legendary WRC champion Colin McRae, it was campaigned by Markku Alén and Ari Vatanen in 1993 before winning the 1994 Asia Pacific Rally Championship with New Zealander Possum Bourne at the wheel. This was also Subaru's very first Impreza 555 Group A Manufacturer's and Driver's championship double.
  • Brabham BT62 - Adelaide's own supercar, the Brabham BT62 first surfaced early in 2018, but it had not been seen at speed in public until the Adelaide Motorsport Festival later that year. With a 5.4-litre mid-mounted V8 making 700 hp and a kerb weight of just 972 kg, the car proved to be extremely quick.
  • Lotus 12 - The first Lotus ever raced in Formula 1 and Graham Hill's first Grand Prix drive. Hill campaigned this Lotus 12 in Formula 2 in Europe in 1957, before it was entered in the Monaco GP in 1958. It also raced in the Dutch and Belgian GPs that year.
  • Brabham BT17 CanAm - Built as a Group 7 CanAm sports car, this BT17 was raced by Sir Jack himself, in one race at Oulton Park.
  • 1987 JPS Norton RC588 Factory Works Race bike - This machine combines the very first race chassis and the first water-cooled factory works twin-rotor engine developed by Norton in the late 1980s. Its success in racing has made it legendary. Wins include the 1992 Isle of Man TT and the 94 British Superbike Championship. Initially developed without the support of Norton management, the RC588 had a race-ready weight of 145 kg and power estimated at 135 hp.

Adelaide Motorsport films

Adelaide Motorsport Festival gained international attention in 2017 with its first promotional film shot at night with the assistance of South Australia Police.[26]

  • Race to the City[27] - filmed on the streets of Adelaide, featured 3 Formula One cars, a Holden Dealer Team Torana A9X, and a World Superbike spec Ducati ridden by three-time World Champion Troy Bayliss. Car drivers included multiple Bathurst winner John Bowe and Supercars drivers Cam Waters and Tim Slade. Tour de France winner Stuart O'Grady had a cameo role. The film was produced with a budget under $25,000.[28]
  • Race to the City 2018[29] - The bulk of this film was shot in and around Adelaide with some scenes shot at the Imola Circuit in Italy with Formula One drivers Pierluigi Martini and Ivan Capelli. Other drivers featured were ex WRC driver Alister McRae, multiple Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes, Le Mans winner and Formula One driver David Brabham and Supercars driver Tim Slade.[30] Cars in this film were the 1989 Leyton House driven by Capelli in 1989, the Brabham BT62, a LaFerrari hybrid hypercar and a Mitsubishi Evo rally car.[31]

Recognition, attendance, impact

The Adelaide Motorsport Festival proved to be a popular event.[32] In 2018, a total of 25,787 people attended the Victoria Park Sprint. 14,720 people attend the Gouger Street Party and 6600 people engaged with the Adelaide Rally along the route.[33] The total number of spectators engaging with the Adelaide Motorsport Festival in 2018 was 47,107, up from 43,376 in 2017. Total economic benefit derived from the event for the state of South Australia was in excess of AU$8M.[34]

References
  1. Tom, Howard (27 May 2019). "Adelaide Motorsport Festival cancelled". Speedcafe.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  2. "Podcast // The Adelaide Rally's Tim Possingham – Sports Car Safari". Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  3. Walsh, Scott (29 January 2014). "Adelaide gears up for Formula One". adelaidenow.com.au. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. "Adelaide Motorsport Festival 2018". adelaideexoticcarspotting.com.au. 9 December 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "Adelaide continues festival success". motorsport. 4 December 2018. p. 1. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  6. Vandersyde, Rhys (30 December 2020). "Plans to revive Adelaide Motorsport Festival". autoaction.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  7. McCarthy, Dan (30 December 2020). "Plans to revive Adelaide Motorsport Festival". autoaction.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  8. James, Patrick (21 March 2022). "Formula One cars return to Adelaide". adelaidenow.com.au. Retrieved 21 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. The Advertiser (2018). "Adelaide Motorsport Festival 2018 in pictures". adelaidenow.com.au. p. 1. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  10. "adelaide-motorsport-festival". Auto Action. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  11. "The Advertiser". Plane takes on Brabham supercar. 2 December 2018. p. 1. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  12. "Shannons Adelaide Rally". southaustralia.com. 6 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  13. "AMF to feature Classic Rally Cars". Historic Racing News. 14 November 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  14. Craill, Richard (27 March 2021). "Spectacular end to Shannons Adelaide Rally". theracetorque.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  15. "Adelaide Hills Council Shannons Adelaide Rally and Adelaide Rallysprint 2019" (PDF). Adelaide Hills Council. 4 June 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  16. "Experience Adelaide | Adelaide Rally". experienceadelaide.com.au. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  17. Andrew, Balfour (21 October 2015). "2015 AMF Review". F1Destinations.com. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  18. Antimo, Iannella (30 September 2015). "Adelaide Motorsport Festival". adelaidenow.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. Walsh, Scott (29 November 2018). "Peak Hour of Power". The Advertiser. p. 1. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  20. Lines, Brendan (6 December 2019). "Gouger Street Party". grandprixnet.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  21. Richards, Zara (10 November 2021). "East End Springs into life". glamadelaide.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  22. Vandersyde, Rhys (9 December 2017). "Supercar Stars". autoaction.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  23. "Adelaide set for action-packed festival". motorsport.org.au. 22 November 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  24. "Four decades of F1 machinery". autoaction.com.au. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  25. Adelaidegp (29 July 2018). "Ivan Capelli returning to Adelaide". adelaidegprix.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  26. Vandersyde, Rhys (7 September 2018). "Adelaide Motorsport Festival stops traffic". autoaction.com.au. Retrieved 20 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. Race To The City
  28. Race to the City film launches Adelaide Motorsport Festival
  29. Race to the City 2018
  30. "Video: race to the city". historicracingnews.com. 17 October 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  31. Vandersyde, Rhys (18 October 2018). "Race to the City 2018 released". autoaction.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  32. Scott, Walsh (12 November 2016). "Adelaide Motorsport Festival set to draw 30,000 to Victoria Park". The Advertiser. p. 1. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  33. Rhys, Vandersyde (4 December 2017). "Adelaide Motorsport Festival to take to the streets". autoaction.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  34. "Special Council Meeting" (PDF). ahc.sa.gov.au. 2018. pp. 112–115. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
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